Making New Years Resolutions with Kids

Big Apple Chalkboard Wall Decal

2011 is almost over…meaning it’s time to reflect upon the past year and look forward to 2012 with brand new resolutions and goals. This New Year, include your kids in this tradition by having them make big plans for 2012 as well.  

According to Parents Magazine, kids ages 7-12 are at the ideal stage to make their resolutions. Children at this age range tend to think more independently as they become mindful of other people’s perspectives and their own.  Here’s some tips on engaging children in making New Years Resolutions.

1. Bring it to the kitchen table!  Get the whole family together and make your resolutions so that children will have an idea about the kinds of resolutions they should be making.

2. Look ahead and ask your kids what are some of the things they want to do over the next year.  What will make them happier? What subject do they want to get better grades in?

Art Activity Desk

3. Be a good role model. Don’t ask kids more than what you are willing to do yourself.  If you want to get out the door 10 minutes earlier every day, be the first to make the change so that kids will follow your lead. 

4. Make it positive. New Years Resolutions are supposed to be optimistic.  Set the tone by celebrating your kids' past achievements and presenting their 2012 goals and dreams in a happy way that doesn't come off as preachy.

If they want to practice their art skills or do better in math class, be supportive and spend time helping them or encouraging them to practice. 

What are your New Years Resolutions??

Nursery Lighting on a Budget

Sleepy Moon and Stars Lamp

Lighting for baby's nursery can create a truly magical feel in the room.  While furniture is generally always expensive, lighting doesn't have to be.  If you're not looking to spend hundreds of dollars on an extravagant chandelier or a ceiling medallion, lamps and sconces are a perfect solution to nursery lighting.

Lamps are especially useful because unlike chandeliers or center ceiling medallions, lamps provide just a little bit of light in one corner of the room, thus not irritating baby's eyes. 

We recommend placing the lamp in a corner across from the crib so that when you go to check on baby in the middle of the night, you won't have to worry about waking her with the light.  Lastly, for safety, always hide cords behind furniture.  If you have a floor lamp in the nursery, be sure it won't be easy for baby to knock down. 

The Sleepy Moon and Stars lamp is an adorable little lamp that goes will in either boy or girls room.  A playful smiling star hangs from the light switch chain while a sleeping moon at the base is surrounded by other stars.  For just $59.99, it's a very affordable nursery accent as well. 

Kids Lamps

1. Butterfly Lamp $59.99

2. Lily Pad Frog Lamp $79.99

3. Teapot Lamp $79.99

Winter Fashion: Girls Vintage Clothing

Aspen Twirly Skirt

When it gets to be this cold, windy time of the year, kids' everyday winter style (and sometimes even yours) may begin to get a bit boring. This winter, be inspired by sweet summer vintage styles mixed with layers for a few fun winter outfits for girl. 

The Aspen Twirly skirt is a bright and cheery vintage skirt that comes with a snap on & off bow for easy wear.  Match it with leggings and a simple solid layering t-shirt for a colorful winter outfit that will keep her warm. 

Girls Winter Clothing

Here's a sample outfit for girl.  The vintage Jennifer skirt features a hot pink trim and is fully lined with an extra petticoat frill for extra warmth.  Mix this twirl skirt with raspberry leggings, a shirt and a classic waffle weave cardigan with a crochet scallop trim for a unique vintage contemporary look. 

Mix and match vintage dresses like the Willow Grove dress or the Blue Brown Peasant dress with leggings for a simple, yet vibrant winter look.  


Plus, you'll get plenty of use out of these 100% cotton vintage skirts and dresses because they are lightweight and comfortable enough to be worn during the spring and summer as well. 

Happy Holidays from AnnaBean!

"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other"  --Burton Hillis

Jellybean Parade Bedding

We want to wish all of our customers (and everyone else!) a happy and healthy holiday season! 


We at AnnaBean have a pretty busy schedule planned for this weekend...eating lots of cookies, watching A Christmas Story on loop, and spending some quality time with family & friends!  


With the new year right around the corner, we'd like to say goodbye to 2011 by previewing some of the latest additions to the AnnaBean collection. Check out new crib bedding sets from New Arrivals, personalized baby gift sets from Baby Aspen, and trendy satchels from JP Lizzy.


The Jellybean Parade set is a fun and lively set that adds color to baby's nursery.  New Arrivals knows just how to mix patterns with a dotted crib sheet, a zig zag bed skirt and a crisp white bumper with the colorful striped trim. 


Take a look at some of our other new additions:

1. "Crocs in Socks" Plush Toy and Baby Socks Gift Set

2. Jellybean Parade Crib Bedding

3. Midnight Orchid Satchel  

SALE: 30% Off All JP Lizzy Bags!

Pistachio Satchel Bag

With four days left till Christmas, it's prime time to be baking cookies and wrapping gifts.  And it's also a great time to announce a sale on one of our favorite diaper bag designers!  From now until Christmas Eve Eve (December 23rd), we are having a 30% off sale on all of our JP Lizzy bags. 

From classic totes to the newest satchel designs, these bags feature bold, bright colors and chic inner fabric linings.  Our selection features bags with included changing pads, magnetic closures, and wipeable exterior and interior fabrics. 

The strawberry diaper tote set makes a great gift to new mom with a spacious bag that comes with too many things to list!

Strawberry Truffle Diaper Tote Set

New Gift Sets from Baby Aspen!

"Fox in a Box" Plush Gift Set

With just a week before Christmas, the elves at AnnaBean are staying very busy!  Today we introduce to you brand new gift sets from the premiere gift designer, Baby Aspen. 

Baby Firefighter Set

The "Fox in a Box" Plush Gift Set features a friendly, furry fox all cozied up in a comfy box!  This adorable plush animal is a great little companion for baby that has a unique little set up for child to play with.  

The faux-wood box features two rope handles and comes with a personalized lovie blanket. 

Baby Aspen also makes adorable layette sets with all sorts of fun themes.  The new Baby Firefighter Set inspires big dreams with a neat suit featuring suspenders, boots, and a comfy firefighter hat. 

We love these layettes because they make an excellent first costume for baby.  The 100% cotton fabrics and a warm hat make this little firefighter outfit a comfortable and easy to wear outfit. 

"My Little Night Owl" Hooded Terry Spa Robe

Finally, wrap your little night owl in something super comfy after a bath with AnnaBean's hooded terry spa robe. 

This snuggable night owl terry robe features two terry ties in front and a hood with ears and 2 big owl eyes to keep baby's head warm. Personalize with baby's monogram for a super sweet gift. 

Check out more new things from the Baby Aspen Collection here. 

Sanity Saving Holiday Tips

A few weeks ago, we at AnnaBean came together to write a feature in Hybrid Her.  We talked about a few tips to keep you sane this holiday season.  As the preparing winds down (or winds up if you're a late shopper!), we want to share some of our funny & hopefully helpful tips with you on our blog:


If you’ve ever been up at 4 a.m. on Christmas Eve with tape stuck to your face, a dwindling supply of wrapping paper, and a “Santa” signature that eerily resembles Mom’s handwriting, you might benefit from some early holiday preparation this year.  


1.    Set a Budget (and try to stick to it!)

Probably the hardest thing to do is realize that you might have to leave some things off the Christmas List if you want to be able to pay your bills at the end of the month.  Setting a budget ahead of time can help you find gifts early on and avoid last minute spending at the mall. You can always make minor changes to the plan, but you’ll be more aware of that extra spending.

2.    Make a To Do List full of things you can actually DO!

I used to have a terrible habit of making a mile high To Do List that was impossible to accomplish.  Before I would even start my errands, I would be overwhelmed!  Make a To Do List that actually reflects what you can probably get done in a day.  Combine simple errands with more time consuming projects so that even if you don’t get one thing done, you’ll have crossed off something else.  I try to get 1 or 2 big things a week done; whether it’s taking holiday photos or finding a few presents for family or friends.

3.    Don’t stress too much over finding the perfect present

While shopping for kids may be easy, it’s often difficult shopping for co-workers, friends and in-laws.  There’s always one person on my list who I have absolutely no idea what to get them.  For me, it’s helpful to look at gift guides and get some ideas.  If all else fails, a gift certificate from their favorite store and a nice card makes a thoughtful present.

4.    Buy lots of wrapping paper

Unless you plan on adopting an Ebenezer Scrooge policy for the rest of your life, it’s probably safe to say you can use any extra wrapping paper next year.

How well do you think you prepared for the holidays this 

year?

The full article can be read here.

Boy's Best Friend Bedroom Design

Best Friends Bedding Set

Woof Woof! Celebrate puppy madness with a boy's best friend room design.  In addition to a love for dogs, we were inspired by our wonderful little Doodlefish Best Friends Bedding set featuring playful pups with red and khaki accent colors. 

1. Scratchy Children's Rug

2. Dog Switchplate

3. A-Z Bookends in Red and Blue 

4. Trans-Am Vintage Car Inspired Sofa

From rugs and sofas to the smallest details of bookends and light switches, our room accessories play up the puppy theme while bringing out the red, khaki and chocolate fabrics colors of the bedding. 

Dog Artwork

We decorate the walls with all things dog.  The Dog Park canvas and the Hot Dogs canvas above feature a sophisticated brown frame.  The unframed Canine Cruise canvas is a funny, personalized piece of artwork perfect for boys room.  

The icing on the cake is all of the wonderful coordinating items from Doodlefish that specifically match the Best Friends bedding set. 

1. Add a special message in his room with New Arrivals capital wooden letters.

2. Light up the night table for late night reading with the Best Friends Dog Lamp.  

3. Top it off with creative window dressings: Best Friends Valence

Eggnog Pretzels "Kringa" Guest Recipe

We really enjoyed dishing out our holiday recipes last week, so today we decided to add one more delectable treat to our favorite things.  Carolyn from the blog Cookin' for my Captain had a really unique recipe we had never heard of before, but instantly liked upon seeing really really really yummy looking pictures.  Cheers to Eggnog Pretzels "Kringa"!

What you'll need:

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg (1/2 tsp ground nutmeg)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cardamom (optional)
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp rum extract
3 cups flour
3/4 cup dairy eggnog

Ready, Set, Go!

1. In large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on high speed for 30 seconds. Beat in the sugar, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in baking powder, baking soda, 1 tsp fresh nutmeg, salt and cardamom until combined. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and rum extract until combined. Alternately add flour and eggnog, beating after each addition until combined.

2. Divide dough in half. Wrap and chill for 1 to 2 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

4. Roll pieces into 10 inch ropes, or "worms" as I call it! and twist into small pretzel shapes.

5. Place on an ungreased baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake for 5 minutes or until the ropes turn a light brown. Transfer to wire rack, cool completely. 

6. Drizzle with eggnog icing (below) and sprinkle with additional nutmeg (optional).

EGGNOG ICING: In small bowl, stir together 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/8 cup dairy eggnog, and 1/8 tsp rum extract until smooth. Stir in additional eggnog 1/2 tsp at a time to make into drizzling consistency.

Holiday Gift Guide for Kids

Kids are generally easy to shop for.  Whether they are circling things in a magazine or screaming every time a toy commercial comes on, it's often pretty obvious. But shopping for ALL of the kids in your family takes some work.  We want to showcase some of our best toys from our fantastic manufacturers as well as gifts from two of our favorite online stores. 

Holiday Gift Guide

First up, we share some holiday gifts that just happen to be useful for parents too. 

1. Hand-painted Pirate Toy Box: Store his or her new toys away in a custom toy chest with a safety close mechanism. 

2. Out of This World Sleeping Bag by Wildkin: Get your little one excited about sleepovers at Grandma's with this out of this world sleeping bag.  It even includes pillow for extra comfort. 

3. Pirate Table & Chair Set: We love this vibrant set.  Child's room will be transformed into an imaginative high seas adventure and it makes coloring or homework a million times more fun!

4. 4 in 1 Tabletop Flipping Easel: Get creative with your all in one drawing panel, chalkboard, magnetic dry erase board, and paper roll. 

If you're looking to buy a gift for twins, the Just Multiples Two Sleepy Twins Gift Basket is double the fun.  This basket features 2 Dr. Seuss footed sleepers, a Dr. Seuss Sleep Book, and funny "Thing 1" and "Thing 2" pacifiers. 

Now we will present a few adorable, beautiful gifts for toddler. 

1. Acting Out Dress up Musical Swan Lake Skirt: This magical skirt plays the music of Swan Lake as girl dances about.  Makes a great gift for the little ballet enthusiast!

2. Princess Bubble Book: This delightful book tells the story of the modern, independent Princess Bubble who finds her own happily ever after prince or no prince. 

3. Girls Puffed Long Sleeve Nightgown: We're still goo goo gahh gahh'ing over this one!

4. Paper Dolls Indoor TeePee: This innovative little play area creates an imaginative landscape for kids' daydreams.  Plus, it'll grow with your child as a sanctuary for reading or playtime with friends. 

If you're looking to buy a gift for mom and daughter or a heirloom jewelry piece, Girly Twirly's Medium Sterling Silver Monogram Necklace is a stunning gift that comes with all of the personalization you could ask for. Featuring a lovely sterling silver rope chain, choose the length of chain as well as monogram. 

Best Diaper Bags from Babble!

Marilyn Satchel Diaper Bag by Timi & Leslie

Take a look at diaper bags 10 years ago & compare them to today's styles and you're in for a big "WOW" moment.  Diaper bags have come a long way in just a few short years.  Babble pays tribute to 15 great bags that don't look like "diaper bags" in their feature article.  We'd like to celebrate the birth of beautiful diaper bags with today's post about a few of our favorite trendy totes from Babble's list. 

Sahara Messenger Bag

The Marilyn Satchel by Timi & Leslie is a completely undercover diaper bag that screams runway goddess! Bold and flashy, this convertible diaper bag comes in 5 different color choices while also including changing pad, removable shoulder straps, duster bag, and matching stroller straps. 

Timi & Leslie's Sahara Messenger Bag gets high honors as a simple messenger bag with a chic, sophisticated pattern. Babble especially recommends this bag for use as an overnight bag for toddler. 

Finally, another bag that makes the cut is Kalencom's Sam's Messenger.  Babble editors like this bag because it has a simple, no fuss style that can be used by both partners.  Not to mention, it comes in upwards of a dozen different color/pattern styles for you to choose from. 

Sam's Messenger Bag by Kalencom

SALE Holiday Outfits for Kids

Happy Friday everyone!  Since our countdown to Christmas has us at just 15 Days till the magical holiday, we wanted to show off some of our favorite Christmas kids clothing.  In addition to being cute, comfy, and fun, these outfits also happen to be on SALE!

Clearance Girls Clothing

For girls, we have plenty of skirts, dresses and two piece sets that are perfect for family parties or more formal events.

1.  Snowflake Velvet Dress: Go classic with a soft velvet dress for baby girl.  The blue and silver snowflake applique is a beautiful accent that stands out against a dark navy velvet fabric.  A faux satin blouse completes the set. 

2. Holiday Rose Skirt Set: This casual set keeps girl comfortable with a white long sleeve top with rose details and a coordinating skirt with a red rose pattern. 

3. Purple Taffeta & Velvet Party Dress: We LOVE this dress. It is so unique and elegant with a rich shade of iridescent purple.  A hint of sparkle in the black velvet is the icing on the cake. This is a great dress for the holidays, and because it's not red or green, it can be used for other formal events or parties too. 

Boys Clearance Clothing

1. 3 Piece Argyle Vest & Khaki Set: Stick with argyle for a preppy look for boy during the holidays.  The 3 separates can be mixed and matched with other clothing so you've got an outfit down the line as well.

2. 3 Piece Red Cable Knit Sweater & Corduroy Set: A classic red sweater and comfy corduroys are an unbeatable recipe for a holiday photo.  Underneath the sweater is a navy & white button down Oxford shirt. 

3. 4 Piece Handsome Blazer Set: 007 is here for the holidays haha!  No, but really he'll be looking sleek and  more charming than ever in this blazer set from BT Kids.  He'll be comfortable with a red/white/navy stripe oxford shirt and a coordinating red cable knit vest underneath the navy blue blazer. 

Designing a Twins Nursery Room

We hope you enjoyed our recipe series.  Over the next few weeks we'll continue posting tips for the holidays and other neat things, As for today, we're going to brave the unknown and do something we've never done before...it's time to dream design a nursery room for TWINS. That just means twice the fun right??

Carey Crib Bedding by Caden Lane

Avery Crib Bedding by Caden Lane

For our twin project, we decided to go with Caden Lane's Carey and Avery bedding sets.  These crib bedding styles are perfect for a twins nursery because they have the same main color scheme and dots and stripes patterns, but differ with the fabric of the skirt and reversible bumper.  Just like twins, they are seemingly mirrors of each other, but each have their own unique personality. 

To make this room really stand out, we highlight the white and green accents in the bedding with lighting.  

Our new lighting designer, Empress Arts has a collection of wonderfully colorful crystal chandeliers.  The Terrific Chandelier is a green accented chandelier with whimsical clear and green dangling beads.  You can make the chandelier really pop and give it more of a nursery feel with the coordinating small crystal chandelier shades in green.  Finally, adding a few ivory wall sconces will create a vintage feel in this nursery while also bringing out the white accents in the bedding. 

The Rising Stars Canvas and Fly Me to the Moon Artwork are personalized canvasses that would be perfect for twins nursery.  The blue, green, and red colors go well with the striped bumper of our crib bedding sets while the custom canvasses create a nice personal touch that can be placed above each baby's crib. 

Finally, we complete this adorable nursery with an emphasis on patterns and dots with some wall decor and a rug.  You can also add the Doodlefish Grand Recliner if you want a comfortable rocker in the room for mom & dad. 

1. Drew Growth Chart

2. Blue/Green Fabric Wall Letters

3. Striped Wall Clock

4. Dot Mania Rug

Day 5: Grandma Smith's Pecan Christmas Balls

Finally, we come to the end of our holiday recipe series with a spirited dessert from Karen, the self-starter and owner of AnnaBean.  More than 14 years ago when online shopping was in its very beginning phases, Karen launched AnnaBean as a means to stay at home with her then newborn daughter, Anna, and not miss a moment of those formative years.  She sought to provide a complete resource for parents looking for anything from crib bedding and furniture to clothing, diaper bags, and even nap mats & sleeping bags for school.  

As AnnaBean grew, so did Karen's family, with the birth of daughter Emily. In addition to running the day to day needs of the business, she is a great mom to her two daughters and the family's new very active (and very lovable) chocolate lab puppy, Scout. Karen is responsible for all of the great, quality products we carry as well as for the personal customer service provided in each phone call, email and order. 

Now, on to the baking!

Grandma Smith’s Pecan Christmas Balls

What You'll Need:

1 cup butter

2 cups flour

½ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup crushed pecans (or walnuts)

½ teaspoon anise extract

Confectioners’ sugar

Ready, Set Go!

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  

2. Cream butter and sugar.  Add vanilla, anise, flour and salt.  Mix well and add nuts.  

3. Roll into balls. 

4. Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly brown.  

5. Roll in confectioners’ sugar while warm.  

Raspberry Velvet Hat with Raspberry Rose

6. Store in a tightly sealed container after cooled.  Will keep for several weeks.

Favorite Annabean product: Jamie Rae Hats and Jubilee Chandeliers.

Favorite Food: Brooklyn Pizza and my favorite dessert is anything with chocolate!

Jubilee 5 Arm Leaf & Flower Chandelier 

Day 4: Magic Cookie Bars

Now we bring you a truly magical recipe for the chocolate lover from Val, our Design Guru (yes, GURU!).  Val has been working at AnnaBean for the past few years now since her sister Karen started the business in 1997.  In addition to creating the changing looks of the main page storefront, she does everything from designing email newsletters and logos to advertisements and Facebookin'.  Outside of AnnaBean, she is a wonderful mom who has many hilarious stories about life with her two crazy kids, Cara and Christopher!

Magic Cookie Bars

"My mom has made these magic cookie bars for as long as I can remember! They are a family favorite, and even as adults, my brother and I fight over the last one haha! My mom has even resorted to hiding them so we don't eat them before she gets a chance to serve dessert. I look forward to them every holiday season."

What You'll Need:

1/2 cup margarine or butter

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)

1 (6 ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/3 cups flaked coconut

1 cup chopped nuts

Ready, Set Go!

1. Preheat oven to 350 (325 for glass dish). 

2. In a 13 x 9 inch baking pan, melt margarine in oven. 

3. Sprinkle crumbs over margarine; pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumbs. 

4. Top with remaining ingredients; press down. 

5. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. 

Louise Diaper Bag

6. Cool. Chill if desired. Cut into bars. Store loosely covered at room temperature. 

*Makes 24 to 36 bars

Favorite Food: Really lol I have to choose?  Okay, I'd say since I have a MAJOR sweet tooth... pumpkin pie is an all time fav, with whipped cream of course. 

Favorite product: Little Worm Personalized Holiday Ornaments. I have one for both of my kids for the year they were born.. great keepsakes, so fun and vibrant and well made! (Of course I love our diaper bags too.... I have an OiOi, JP Lizzy and Timi & Leslie and love them all!)